Philadelphia Job Fair For Ex-Offenders Shut Down Due to Overwhelming Response

A job fair held for ex-offenders in Center City Philadelphia yesterday had to be shut down due to an overwhelming crowd of job seekers. The city anticipated a turnout of about 1,000 and organizers were shocked when a crowd of 3,000 showed up at the Municipal Services Building. Even with the crowd, the situation was calm—until someone cut the line.

Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Everett Gillison says the space was not equipped to accommodate a crowd that large. He told KYW Newsradio that the maximum number of résumés were accepted and they'll schedule another event at the Convention Center, which will be able to handle a crowd of that size.

There were 25 employers present for yesterday's event who were equally disappointed when it was shut down. Last year's event drew 1,000 people and 435 of them got jobs. The response was much larger this year due to larger advertising efforts. Once news of the job fair went viral, it was a wrap.